A Second Chance
by BlueMoonOnTheRise
Summary: Spoilers for "A Dangerous Deal" Guy/Meg. There's a chance that Meg can survive. Can Guy save her, and together, can they and Robin Hood ever unite to save Nottingham?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my attempt at a Guy/Meg fanfic. Be prepared for badness, as I've never even attempted to write Robin Hood characters before…oh dear…**

Tuck peered round the edge of the tree, squinting through the half light, the chill breeze whipping his cloak around him. His eyes were focused on two people under a tree opposite his. He had been there some time, and was able to recognise the larger of the two, who seemed to be supporting the smaller figure on his lap, as Guy of Gisborne. The girl looked vaguely familiar…Tuck smiled as he remembered her stubbornness, and her refusing to accept that she had been wrong in refusing to marry suitors picked by her father. He also remembered, that she, too, had meant to have been executed at the same time as Gisborne. He could hear voices, and stood stock still, trying to hear what they were saying.

"I always kind of liked you…"

Guy didn't respond, but even from this distance, Tuck could tell that his expression was a mixture of tenderness, and pain. Gently, he stroked the side of her face, neither looking away from each other, until her eyes closed, and she became still. Both Guy and Tuck froze, for just a second. Then both moved, almost simultaneously. Tears sprung into Guy's eyes, and he held Meg to him, shaking with grief. Overcome with shock, Tuck stumbled, falling into the tree he was hiding behind, and falling down the slope of leaves. A rustle behind him told him that Robin had joined him, and he stayed completely still, eyes on Gisborne. He made up his mind, before anyone, not even Robin, could stop him.

"Gisborne."

He could hear Robin mentally cursing him behind him, but if he could save a life, he wasn't going to let him stop him, purely because of his hatred for Gisborne.

The man looked up, spotted Tuck, and made to get up, eyes damp, but fierce, snarling like an enraged animal.

"Don't get up. You might injure her more."

Guy hesitated for a second, and Tuck walked over, and knelt down so that he was facing him.

"I'm not going to hurt either of you. I want to see if I can help her."

"You're one of Hood's lot" Guy spat "And..she's gone." Despite his fierce expression, his voice broke a little on the last word. Tuck indicated he wanted to look, and reluctantly Guy relinquished his hold on Meg. Experienced hands found the blood vessel in her neck, searching for a flicker of life. A faint throbbing met his fingers, and Tuck smiled.

"Not yet."

Guy's eyes widened, and Tuck saw hope for the first time since he had first laid eyes on him. But he wasn't so quick to trust. They narrowed again.

"How do I know…?"

"You don't." Tuck interrupted. "Do you have any other choice?"

"Very well."

Gisborne lifted Meg up, careful not to jolt her more than necessary, and Tuck mirrored his actions, and they faced each other, both slightly suspicious of the other's motivations. Tuck was the first to move, his long cloak swirling, and walked into the darkness of the trees. Gisborne made to follow, forcing his tired muscles to move, to save the girl in his arms from the death that was surely inevitable.

Which was round about the time that Robin Hood appeared…

**There we go! Not too bad, I hope. Thanks to the BBC Robin Hood website, which helped a bit with the characters, and Scouting For Girls, which was playing randomly in the background as I wrote that!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Not entirely sure what knowledge of wounds and blood and stuff people had back then, so it might not be entirely correct to the time. I'm also not sure if a spherical underground room is structurally possible, but let's just call it artistic license…;)**

Robin's expression was nothing like the kind, worried expression that Tuck had worn – suspicion and hatred was etched across his face, a hand on his sword hilt as he surveyed the man he hated, a girl white and still, held in his arms.

"Killed someone else, Gisborne?" he asked, striding towards him. Guy's hands clenched into fists, he gritted his teeth together, hating Hood. If it wasn't for the girl in his arms, he would have killed him there and then "Trying to ruin someone else's life?"

Gisborne snarled, his eyes ablaze.

"You killed my wife!" Robin yelled "And I'm supposed to forgive you?"

"I never wanted or asked for your forgiveness." Guy spat back "I loved her as you did. I have regretted it since the day I killed her. Now I have the chance to save someone's life, and you, Hood, will not stop me."

"Why should I help you?"

"You don't have to."

Guy turned his back on Robin Hood, the very last thing he would have normally done. His instinct was to turn around and kill him, make him pay, in a tiny little way, for the pain he had caused him in past. But he thought of Meg, peering through the cell bars at him: _"There must be some goodness in you…"_ Maybe, if he turned his back on Hood he could become the man she saw. Guy held her closer, stumbling through the forest after Tuck.

It was dark by now, and almost impossible to protect Meg from the low hanging branches; once or twice he nearly stumbled over a tree root, which would have sent them both tumbling to the ground. He looked down at her wound, and noticed, with a little stab of horror, that the dark stain on her dress had spread, her life just spilling away. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and increased his speed so that he was directly behind his guide.

"How much further?" he asked hoarsely, eyes on Meg. Tuck didn't turn.

"We're almost there."

The tunnel was small and dark. Guy could smell the earth, rich and damp, and the occasional water droplet suggested that outside, the weather had turned. Tree roots protruded from the walls, and his head brushed the ceiling. A buzz of small flies flitted into the darkness. Dampness was suddenly replaced by a warm flickering light, illuminating a large, almost spherical room. The fire was in the centre, and a thin trail of smoke wound upwards to a small hole in the ceiling, less than an inch round. It wasn't exactly homely, but someone had dragged some huge boulders down here, where they could be used as chairs, or maybe even for sleeping. A cloak was flung against one wall, as was a large bow. Some arrows were leaned against the earthy wall, clearly in the process of being made. The floor was solid soil, swept clean as far as possible. Guy only half took this in. His attention was still focussed on Meg in his arms. She had sustained her wound so long ago, and lost so much blood…

Mercifully, Tuck seemed just as anxious as he was to see to Meg's wound. He instructed Guy to lay her down, and set about cleaning it. Guy tried to keep the fear off his face as he watched – the wound was deeper than he thought, and he was completely helpless. Her fate lay in the hands of the man in front of him. He could see the vein in her neck, pulsing feverishly. Clinging to life by her fingertips.

Tuck bandaged it as tightly as possible, explaining as he did so that tighter bandages would stop the blood pumping out so fast, and that there was little else to do. All that was left to do was wait. He soon drifted into sleep, but Guy couldn't. If he closed his eyes, even for a moment, he could be missing the last minutes of her life. He could do that for her. Stay awake until he knew whether or not she would live or die.

The night was cold and Guy sat, shivering, sucking in a breath of frozen air, watching Meg. She seemed to be breathing now. He had draped the cloak against the wall over her when she started shivering, and he could see the rise and fall of her breathing. There was a little crease between her eyebrows, and he wondered vaguely what she was worried about. Was she in pain? The darkness seemed to swell, then disappeared as the morning broke, and the last embers of the fire winked and flashed hopefully.

Tuck begun stirring shortly after the light returned, and as he sat up, he glanced at Guy.

"How is she?"

"Better." His voice was gravely with tiredness, his hair was limp, and huge circles framed his pale eyes. His clothes hung loosely on him. However, the shadow of a smile passed across his face as he said this, looking down at the girl beside him. She was still pale, but a faint pink flush was creeping back into her cheeks, and she looked more peaceful than she had an hour or so ago. "Is she going to be alright?"

Tuck looked at Gisborne. He knew that Robin hated him, he knew about his innumerable crimes, but right now if he had just found out what he was capable of, Tuck would have never believed it. He looked so fragile, breakable almost, and hugely protective of the girl sleeping beside him. It was almost as if she had changed him somehow, in that short time they must have spent together, waiting for the execution. What she had done to alter him so completely Tuck couldn't imagine – he seemed a different person. He bade Guy goodbye, instructing him to fetch him immediately if there was any deterioration in her condition, and left in a swirl of his cloak.

Tuck had left hours ago, and Guy was half dozing, his body racked with tiredness, desperately trying to keep his eyes open in case Meg should wake. He wanted to be there when she did, to hear her voice, just to know that she was OK, and that this wasn't some hopeless dream, and he'd wake up, and she'd be gone. Eyelids drooping, he propped himself up on his elbows.

A faint moan awoke him from his stupor, and he sat up suddenly, heart hammering against his ribs, looking down at Meg. Her eyes were open, but she seemed not to see him – they were searching round the room, unfocused. He hovered, unsure of what to do. Then, her eyes focused properly, and she looked up at him. A smile flashed across her face.

"Guy?"

He smiled back, properly this time, not like the shadow of a smile he had worn earlier. Then he had had only hope, but now she was awake, and she was going to_ live._

"Meg!"

He dropped down next to her, stroking his fingers gently across her cheek, feeling as though he was going to burst with the joy of her being alive.

"I thought…"

She smiled again, almost amused. If she was stronger, he was sure she would have commented on his lack confidence in her. But she was still weak from her injury, and it wasn't long before her eyes closed, and her breathing became steady again. Guy sat there, completely stunned, a soft expression on his face as he watched her sleep.

**End of chapter 2! Hope that lived up to expectations, and thankyou so much for all the lovely reviews people left last time. Feel free to leave some more…-hint- :D x**


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is quite a lot from Meg's POV, looking at what's happened, as so far it's mainly been seen from the inside of Guy's head. Hope people like it :) I think it's getting easier to write these characters now! So…let the chapter commence…**

Of course, Meg didn't recover that fast. It was days before she could stand up properly, and although she tended to grit her teeth together and ignore it, Guy could tell that movement aggravated the wound in her side. He stayed mostly in the underground room by her side, but he did leave now it was clear she was going to recover. Now that her life was no longer in question, little things started to mean more – hunger, tiredness. He was gone now, off hunting for food for them, and Meg was alone, as Tuck had left before Guy had. Meg sat up tentatively, wincing in pain, and thought about the last few days.

She could remember very little from the forest where he had held her, after she had been stabbed trying to save him. She didn't regret that, even now, despite the pain and the weakness that constantly bit through her. There was something about him, some goodness, some kindness…_something_… that made it all worthwhile. She thought back. Arms were around her, and a face looked down, beautiful, but so sad. Guy. Usually so talkative, Meg couldn't quite explain what she wanted to say, the words just wouldn't come. She remembered the brief warmth of his lips as he pressed them gently against hers and smiled at the memory.

She had to say it, she had to tell him: "I always quite liked you…" she manages, swallowing back tears. Her strength is fading, and she doesn't want him to remember her sad. A smile, and the world fades into darkness.

It was only a few days ago that the blackness started to leak away. It became less intense and compressing, and the bright colours of dreams began to return. It was peaceful, but almost as compressing as the blackness, as if the dreams were a fire eating away at her, sucking her down as she struggling to climb out of their scorching touch. She needed to get back to Guy. His face kept appearing in her mind, and somehow it helped her scramble out of the fire, to breath fresh cold air again. After an age, Meg opened her eyes.

Where was she? She could see earth, but she was lying down, she could feel that now. Her eyes rolled around the room, trying to understand, looking, looking… Suddenly, everything came into focus, and he was _there_ sitting right beside her, such a soft expression on his face, that broke into a smile as he saw she was awake. His fingers gently traced her cheek, and she smiled back. She was alive! She was alive, and Guy was still here.

Neither of them had spoken much about what had happened in the forest after Meg had woken up, although to anyone watching, their feelings towards each other would have been clear. Meg could sense that Guy was slightly cautious about bringing it up – both of them had been sure she was dying, and she wandered if he thought that she hadn't meant what she'd said. She stood up, brushing the dirt off her skirt, idly wondering if she should go and look for him. He'd been gone a long time…

Soft footsteps echoed slightly off the walls, and Meg smiled. Guy's tall frame came into view. He looked far better than he had done a few days ago. He wasn't quite as thin, and the dark circles around his eyes were disappearing. His dark hair was no longer hanging limply, and those blue-grey eyes looked down at her softly. His lips curved into a smile.

"Meg!" Those beautiful eyes dropped, as they so often did, to the bandage on her side "You're feeling better?"

Meg smiled and nodded up at him, almost shyly.

"Guy…" She paused for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts and form a coherent sentence. "In the forest…when we thought I was dying…what I said…" she paused again, looking up at him. He had stopped, his eyes containing some kind of intense emotion "I meant it. I'm not going to lie, just because I think I'm dying."

Meg smiled again. She wasn't sure what she planned to do next, but she was certainly happy to stay like this, just looking into his eyes. Very slowly, so she could see what he was going to do, Guy dipped his head, and kissed her. It wasn't like their first, uncertain and painful, both knowing they could never see the other again. His hand curled around her cheek, and their lips seemed to mould together perfectly, as though they were made to do just that.

Guy drew back slowly, opening his eyes, and looking at Meg. They both sat down on the cold floor, slightly dazed, both wearing identical little smiles.

Robin stood in the tunnel, feeling just as dazed as the couple sitting on the cold floor. Half of it was mindless fury at Gisborne…after what he had done to Marian, he got to be happy. He found someone who – impossibly – seemed to love him as much as he loved her. That was the other thing that was, to Robin, completely and utterly, inconceivable. The girl was from the village, so she must have suffered in some way from Gisborne's selfishness in the past. The way she looked at him was just…Robin shook his head. She seemed to trust him completely.

He turned and ran from the underground tunnel, not wanting to be caught spying, but also not really wanting to watch them. He kept running, the trees flashing past in blurs of green, his feet pounding a steady rhythm on the soft earth. A familiar shock of blonde hair stuck out from the top of the hill. Robin grinned and waved at her, and walked the rest of the way up the hill to stand beside her.

"You alright?" Kate asked, taking in his heavy breathing, and peering at him "Why were you running?"

Robin raised his eyebrows and grinned again, sticking his hands deep into his pockets, shifting his weight slightly.

"I went to see how Meg was."

That was true, he had gone there to check how she was doing, but also partly because he had hoped to meet Gisborne on the way. And he _had _met Gisborne, and he _had _seen how Meg was doing, although not at all how he had intended. He shook his head, trying to think how to put it.

"I guess her and Gisborne are…" he stopped, looking at Kate, whose expression was now slightly confused. He shook his head "They were kissing." He finished bluntly.

Kate looked as though he'd just told her that Meg had grown an extra head. He mouth fell open and she just gaped at him.

"I know." Robin said, grinning slightly, and turning back towards the camp. "None of us would have…"

Heavy footsteps sounded behind them, and Much, Tuck, Allan and John appeared. Much and John were wearing similar expressions to Kate, Allan was snickering slightly, and Tuck looked completely unconcerned, and certainly not surprised.

"You knew?" Robin asked, turning to Tuck.

"It wasn't hard to guess." Tuck shrugged "I cannot say I'm surprised."

"Not trying to ruin this gossiping about Gisborne's love life." Allan interrupted slightly sarcastically, smirking "But don't we have other things to worry about? Like Isabella killing innocent people because they don't do what she says?"

Robin nodded.

"C'mon. Let's go."

**Got a little slushy there at the end with Guy and Meg, but that's kind of an occupational hazard of reading my writing! Can't resist the odd bit of fluff here and there! Lol! Still, hope people still like it, and feel free to leave some more lovely reviews, as the ones so far have been so nice! ;D x**


	4. Chapter 4

**Did everyone see "The Enemy of my Enemy" tonight? I though it was good! And I have taken a strong dislike to a certain character. Hmm. Anyhow, new chapter, quite a lot of Robin in this one, but hope you enjoy anyways…**

When Meg was strong enough to leave, the problem of what she and Guy were going to do, when they left, arose. They were outlaws now, they couldn't go near Nottingham because Isabella would have them condemned to death, and in any case, Meg didn't want to stay with her father. He'd hardly approve of Guy, and although neither had said anything, both knew that were staying with the other. They obviously couldn't stay with Robin's gang, because much as Tuck seemed to like, or at least not hate them, Robin and Guy's continued hate of one another made it completely inconceivable. Their only choice was to stay in the forest, or move somewhere completely different. Presently, they were strolling through the trees of Sherwood Forest, with no particular direction.

"We need to do something about Isabella." Meg said suddenly, stopping, and looking at Guy "You heard what she said at the execution – she's going to execute anyone who doesn't follow her orders."

"How can you do that?" Guy asked, looking at her incredulously "You can see the faults in others, but you can still see good in me."

"I can see your faults too!" Meg protested "I distinctly remember telling you that you were a nasty piece of work and I could see why Isabella wanted you dead!" She paused, grinning at his expression "Although I don't think that now. But I can still see that you've done a lot of wrong things in your life. I can just tell there's good too." He smiled, and she continued "But as far as I can tell, you're not doing anyone any harm at the moment, and your sister is."

Guy nodded, but he didn't look entirely convinced.

"We can't do it on our own." he told Meg "Even if by some miracle we got into the castle gates, we could never make it to Isabella, just the two of us."

Meg frowned at him.

"Is this because of me?" she asked, peering at him very suspiciously "Because Robin Hood can do it, and I'm pretty sure you could manage it on your own."

"Look at the number of times Hood has nearly died at the Sheriff's hands." Guy said angrily

"This is because I'm a girl, isn't it?" Meg retorted, her temper rising too "I'm suddenly being reminded why I hated men so much!" she stepped towards him, and despite her short stature, she looked pretty threatening "They _assume _that just because someone isn't a man, she must be weak, or can't do what they can!"

Guy stood there, a little stunned. He knew she hated men generally, but he hadn't really thought about _why_? He had assumed she just disliked them. Thinking about it, he could see that women were generally treated as inferior to men, and made a mental not to try not to treat them any different. Well, not Meg, anyway. He opened his mouth to try to make amends for what he had just said, and found that he couldn't think of any excuse.

"Sorry." he looked at Meg, and she was pleased to see him looking slightly ashamed of himself. "Shall we go then?"

She smiled, just a little bit, and they turned from the direction in which they had been moving, and walked purposefully into the trees, Guy only pausing for a second to catch her hand in his.

Locksley was unearthly quiet as the outlaws approached it, Robin leading the way, crossbow slung casually over his shoulder. The others crept through the grass behind him, wearing expressions of both bewilderment and worry at the foreboding atmosphere.

"Where is everyone?" Kate asked a little fearfully, her eyes flicking to her own house, which, like every other was silent. "What's happened?"

Nobody answered for a moment. Storm-grey clouds were clustered in the sky, heavy with rain.

"An execution." Much said, catching a slight cheering, mixed with a woman's screams, through the howl of the wind "Isabella's ordered an execution."

Robin screwed up his face, then turned to face his gang.

"We need to get into the castle." he said, pulling his hood over his head, so his face was completely obscured, just a black shadow. The others imitated him, and they strode through the empty houses towards the castle gates.

The atmosphere was like that of any execution – excited and noisy, people shoving to get to the front of the crowd so they could see. However, the slight difference in atmosphere between Gisborne's and this one was noticeable. Not everyone seemed happy to be there: there were tear streaked faces amongst the excited ones, and Robin could only guess that they were family of whichever poor soul Isabella had condemned. He just hoped that they could be saved. The outlaws fought their way through the crowd so that they had a clear view of the stage.

Isabella walked haughtily across the raised platform to her chair, flanked by her guard, an air of great smugness surrounding her. He wondered fleetingly how he ever had found this woman attractive, then focused his mind on the task at hand. A young boy, probably only 14 years old, was being hauled onto the stage by two brutal looking guards. His face was streaked with tears, and he was crying out for his mother, struggling fruitlessly against the guards on each side of him. Robin felt the same wave of fury he felt emanating from the others – so Isabella was murdering children now? He knocked an arrow into the bow, and stood, waiting. This time, the executioner would not even have time to raise the axe. Robin stood, shaking with anger, as Isabella addressed her victim with the same cold and superior air she had used at Gisborne's execution, outlining his crimes. As far as Robin could tell the boy had done nothing – only dared to steal the tiniest amount of food from the guard – presumably an attempt to help his family.

"Get ready to run." Robin instructed the others, out of the corner of his mouth "And Kate, make sure you get that boy _out _of here."

He took aim, and released the arrow, where it found it's mark, straight into the executioners chest. He dropped to the floor like a stone. A second arrow landed directly beside Isabella's head, making her scream, and jump to her feet.

"GET HOOD!" she bellowed at the guards on either side of her. They hurried off into the crowd, eyes darting in every direction to find the ever evasive outlaw. Robin ducked through the hoards of villagers, seeing other hooded figures doing the same, and a flash of bright blonde sprinting for the scaffold. But Kate didn't have to rescue the boy. Someone else was lifting him to safety, a dark head instead of blonde, and Meg, standing beside this rescuer hadn't see the guard running towards them, and it seemed as though history was going to repeat itself. Kate yelled out in warning to the girl, and this time Meg lunged for the sword hanging at Guy's waist, pulled it from its sheath, and drove it through the guard, who fell dead to the floor. Guy said something to her briefly, then they too, the boy sprinting after them, made for the exit. Robin, Much, Tuck, John, Allan, Guy, Meg and the boy nearly collided as they shot out the castle gates. Kate wasn't far behind, nearly flattening Much as she skidded to a stop. They looked at each other, all outlaws, all for the same cause. No one said anything. Then, the jangle of chainmail brought them to their senses, and the motley group of people turned, and ran towards the forest.

**I had to have Guy do something vaguely heroic – I felt so sorry for him in tonight's episode, what with everyone's not trusting him, and saying how evil he was. I shall prove them wrong! Haha!**

**Hope everyone still likes. Review…please? :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Had a bit of a problem writing this chapter, which is why it took a while to update, but hopefully it'll be alright…quite a lot of yelling in this one…**

Once they reached the cover of the trees, and the clanking of armour had faded, the sudden bonds that had been so strong a moment ago, as they were all united for the same cause, begun to fade. The boy had stopped crying now, and was wiping his face with the back of his hand, looking slightly embarrassed at his red eyes. He ran a hand through his fair hair, trying to look casual and unconcerned. Guy and Robin were standing as far away as possible from each other with everyone else shifting around in the middle. Most were also careful to maintain a gap between themselves and Gisborne, with the exception of Meg and the boy. Still, no one said anything. It was Meg who broke the very awkward silence.

"So, what are we gonna do now then?" She looked around at the silent crowd of people, and squared her shoulders "Or are we gonna just stand here?"

It was Kate who answered, although she seemed to not have heard what Meg had just asked.

"What are you doing with him, Meg?" she asked, looking at the dark figure standing beside her "Why…?"

"Why not?" Meg answered, rather defensively, looking at Guy, and turning to frown at Kate.

"Because of what he's done!" Kate burst out, unable to contain herself "He killed my brother, he's killed so many people, he destroys everything Meg! I would have thought you of all people could _see _that!"

"And I would have thought _you _of all people might be able to give him a chance!" Meg yelled back "Look at all of you! All of you, you're all in Robin Hood's gang. You help people. You helped me in the past. Yet you seem unable to forgive people, you just can't forget what someone did in the past, can you?"

The rest of the outlaws, who had before just been watching the argument warily, exploded. Robin charged towards Meg and Guy, yelling "He killed my wife!" and lunged at Gisborne, anger surging through his veins. Tuck lurched towards them, seizing Robin round the waist, and together with Allan, dragged him away from Guy, who had drawn his sword, and was shouting wordlessly at him. Kate lunged at Meg, almost as angry as Robin at her words, forgetting about weapons, just trying to hurt Meg as much as she could with her bare hands. Meg was equal to that, and the two of them, snarling at each other, fell to the forest floor, hitting and kicking and punching. Guy, who had been about to charge after into the forest after Hood, darted over, and he and Much managed to pull them apart. Kate shook Much off, stalking away after Robin, but Meg didn't struggle, although Guy could tell she was furious at Kate's reaction. He just wished he'd managed to have as proper a fight with Hood, as she had with Kate. She just turned to face him, gave a weak smile, and pulled him away, in the opposite direction to the other outlaws. The boy had disappeared, and Guy prayed he had the brains not to return to Nottingham. There would be nobody there to save him if he had.

They walked in silence, Meg wiping the blood off her face as they went.

"I'm sorry." she said finally, after about 20 minutes "Shouldn't have lost my temper with Kate." She glanced apologetically at Guy "I just couldn't stand there with her talking about you like that."

He shrugged, his expression unreadable.

"She was right." he told Meg "They're all right."

"And I'm wrong?" Meg asked, her voice indignant, but grinning, so he could tell she was only teasing. He smiled too, his angst forgotten as she reached out to hug him briefly. They continued through the trees at a slower pace, looking for somewhere to sit down. They settled at the bottom of a tree with a wide trunk to lean against. Meg leaned her head against his shoulder.

"So there goes plan _join Robin Hoods gang to help us sort out Isabella_." Meg said, smiling ruefully up at Guy.

"You never mentioned this plan to me." he told her, slinging an arm around her shoulders and peering at her, his eyes sparkling slightly, his mouth curving into his beautiful, slightly lopsided smile.

"Hmmm…though I remember you saying we couldn't do anything on our own…?" Meg pointed out, also grinning.

"Well, you were certainly pretty impressive today" he pointed out. "Maybe we can."

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Back in the outlaws camp, Robin and Kate were seething. They were sitting on the edge of someone's bed, neither talking, as everyone else stood around them, wary of the anger that was radiating off the pair of them. Kate was furious at Meg's attitude towards Guy, even though she knew what he had done. Robin wasn't particularly pleased with Meg's attitude towards him either, but he, at least, saw that while he didn't agree with it, it was her choice. It was when she had said about forgiving what Gisborne had done in the past: that was what was really getting to Robin. When she said that, he could see him killing Marian…and Kate sitting there siding with him wasn't helping…he'd rather she was yelling at him and agreeing with Meg. Then he'd have some reason, at least, for being as frustrated with her as he was with Meg. But, he thought, standing, trying to brush off his anger for the time being, it wasn't really Kate that was annoying him. It was himself. He got to his feet, and looked around at everyone, who were all standing around, looking slightly nervous as he approached them. He nodded at the sacks of food propped against the wall.

"We better get this to the people."

Everyone moved, except Kate, who was still sitting there. He could tell she was still angry.

"Kate." he said, putting a hand on her shoulder "I know you're angry at her – but it doesn't look like we'll be seeing much of them, okay?"

She nodded.

"Yeh – I just want to sit here for a bit."

"Don't do anything stupid." Robin told her, then straightened up, and followed John's retreating back out of the camp.

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Guy and Meg were asleep, side by side under a wide oak, his arms around her, her head on his chest. The forest was dark and quiet around them – the only sounds the whisper of small animals scampering through the undergrowth, and the rustle as the wind caressed the leaves on the trees.

Or was it so silent? If you put your ear to the west, which was roughly the direction in which Nottingham Castle was, you could here shouting, and faintly, someone barking out orders. The shouting was getting louder, and with it, there was the ominous jangle of chainmail, but Meg and Guy, still fast asleep, were oblivious to it. The jangling was becoming more feverish, and the guards were no longer trying to hide the fact that they were there…there were running footsteps, the scrape of metal on wood as they passed trees in the darkness. Then silence. A pair of green eyes stared down a long nose at the two people, and spoke.

"That's 'em alrigh'"

At his confirmation, someone else rushed forward with a swish of fabric brushing the dead leaves on the forest floor. A much shorter figure was thrown into relief by the torchlight, and the dark, triumphant eyes of Isabella gazed down at her brother, her mouth curving into a smirk, her hand resting on the shoulder of a 14 year old boy, his fair hair gleaming in the torchlight.

**So, there we go. Let me know what you think, and thanks for all the lovely reviews people have left on other chapters! :D Naomi x**


	6. Chapter 6

**Putting this up to a T as it's starting to get a bit violent. Not sure if it needs it at the moment, but better safe than not. Enjoy...**

It was Guy who came to his senses first, struggling and shouting, trying to reach his sword, so he could kill the man who was about to put him and Meg back at Isabella's mercy, the very last person on earth at whose mercy he wanted to be. He struggled, managing to elbow the guard in the face. The man yelled out in pain, blood spurting from his nose. Guy wrenched his arm from his grip, grasped his sword, and drove it through the man, who fell, lifeless. Meg, devoid of any kind of weapon, was struggling with her guard too, and Guy stepped forward to help. Before he reached them however, the man was bent over double, as Meg had kicked him between the legs, and she was running towards Guy, and he grabbed her hand, continuing running, away from Isabella, and her hate and revenge and death…

"GUARDS!"

They skidded to a stop, as guards materialised from nowhere, forming a circle, a solid wall, blocking out freedom and happiness. Guy spun round to face his sister, but was not to her he spoke at first. He eyes rested on the boy next to her, looking slightly nauseas, his eyes fixed on the dead soldier on the ground, around whom a pool of red was forming. Good. With a stab of savage pleasure, he imagined the expression on his face if that was the boy's blood on the ground, if it was him who had a sword stuck through him.

"Look what you've done." he snarled at the boy "I should have let her kill you."

Despite his pale and sweaty face, the boy's chin lifted into the air as he answered Gisborne, seemingly oblivious of the murderous glare that was being aimed at him.

"I did what was best for me." he told Guy, his dark green eyes looking calmly into Guy's blue ones "I couldn't go back to Nottingham, or my family, because I'd be killed. But…if I told Isabella where you were." he grinned "I was pretty sure she'd spare my life. I've been following you all day. When you fell asleep, I went to tell the Sheriff what I knew."

Guy closed his eyes, and gritted his teeth together, trying to keep his temper, so that he would not jeopardise any chance they might have of getting away. It looked like that chance was zero for him, but if Meg could get away alive…

"Nasty, scheming little brat, you are, aren't you." Meg told the boy, scowling at him "After what we risked trying to save you, you…"

"Gave you away." Isabella finished "You see now, Meg, that the people are loyal to me, don't you? You disappearing off with Guy," she spat her brother's name, and shot him a look of pure loathing "you trying to save him, your constant defence of him…it's going to get you killed. Everyone hates him, and by being in league with him, they hate you too."

"_I _don't hate him." Meg shot back "And if you think you can get me to work with you by using death threats: you're wrong."

"And you are clearly not as bright as I initially thought." she looked to her guards. "Lock them up."

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The huge gathering of guards had not, unsurprisingly, gone unnoticed by Robin Hood's outlaws. It was Allan that had heard them, unable to sleep, he had followed the noise, and managed to discover why they were there. He told the rest about the boy's betrayal, and that Gisborne and Meg were to be executed in a few days time. What they should do about it, if anything, the group was split about. Kate had calmed down a lot since the previous day, and thought they should, if possible, try to rescue Meg, as she was innocent, but they should leave Gisborne to his fate. Robin, John, Much and Allan agreed with this, but Tuck insisted they should rescue both.

"She'll try to rescue him if we don't." he pointed out "And if she got caught, then our rescuing her would be completely pointless."

There was no arguing with this, but John, and Kate would still not hear of helping Gisborne in anyway, and Robin was dubious. Much and Allan had agreed with Tuck – there was no point in freeing Meg if she would only get caught again trying to free Guy, when they left him behind.

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Back in Nottingham Castle, Guy and Meg were leaning against the damp cell wall, their hands chained together, wearing almost identical scowls, and glaring at the bars around them.

"I was beginning to feel I had some reason to live again." Guy muttered darkly at the cell wall "clearly, reason or no reason, I am not allowed to."

"Don't say that." Meg told him reproachfully, trying to hide the grin that had sprung onto her face at the words: _I had some reason to live again_, with little success. It just kept slipping back onto her face, every time she tried to look remotely serious.

"You look happy about something." Guy remarked, watching as she struggled to keep a straight face. She frowned at him, pressing her lips together, finally managing to compose herself. She didn't want him to know quite how much he had got to her with those few words.

"Just thinking…we _might _get out of here alive."

Guy rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly

"That's a happy thought?"

The darkness pressed in on them as the hours slowly ticked by, their lives trickling away like the sand in an hourglass. It seemed so ironic that both had saved the other's life, but now, here they were again, destined to die. The cruel metal bars leered at them, and through them, tantalizingly close, there was the tunnel that led out of the dungeons, to freedom. Torches flickered enticingly along that tunnel, illuminating the grubbiness of the cell in which Meg and Guy were slumped. A trickle of water dripped down the wall, which was damp, and had a light spattering of algae. The floor had a thin covering of mud, traipsed in and out of the cell by the guards, and the other poor souls that had once been left here to await their fate. This cell was worse than the last, with not even the smallest crust of bread in sight. Isabella probably wants us as close to death as possible, Guy thought savagely, so we can't put up much of a fight. He glanced sideways at the girl beside him, staring into space for the time being, and remembered how she had struggled the first time he had seen her. Well, she would fight, he knew that, and he would too, even though death seemed inevitable. He had escaped many times before, had he not?

"Guy?" Meg's eyes were focused again, and she was looking sideways at him, a little smile on her face "We need to decide what we're gonna do when they come for us. We need some kind of plan, or we'll never escape."

"I was thinking about that." Guy looked back at her steadily "It's going to take some time."

"We have some time." Meg reasoned, and they begun.

Isabella usually sent at least four guards to escort the criminals to the execution, so that they were outnumbered. As there were two of them, and Isabella wanted to take no risks in letting them escape again, Guy guessed she might send six or even eight guards, and their plan was based on the largest number. If there were less, it would just make the job easier. In the dungeons, it was impossible to keep track of time, as it seemed to be an endless night. After a few hours, however, they had worked out how to take out all the guards that would come to get them, but the problem of how to get out of the castle after this still remained. There were only two of them, and even Meg conceded that they could not single-handedly take on huge numbers of guards that Isabella would summon as soon as she realised they had escaped. The only thing to their advantage was that the courtyard would be crowded with villagers come to see their execution, so if they could get to there, they would be incredibly difficult to spot. Satisfied, the pair fell into an uneasy sleep, as they needed to be wide awake when the guards came to collect them the following afternoon.

**What is it with Guy, Meg, and dungeons? They seem to always end up in one! (Ok, this time was my fault). Still, review, review! And thanks so much for all the alerts! 10! Makes me happy :) Naomi x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Nice violent little chapter here :D …it will get better, honest!**

Meg was very comfortable. She could see nothing, just calm, deep blackness: no pain or worry. Her left side was very warm, but not unpleasantly so. It was peaceful. It would have been nice to stay like this, but something was pulling her away from it. She cried out…

Guy was nudging her awake, and she lifted her head off his shoulder, blinking blearily at him. He looked slightly worried, and Meg remembered what they had to do today.

"How long?" she whispered, rubbing sleep from her eyes, and moving her hands a bit. The chains were digging painfully into her wrists, leaving angry red indents in her skin.

"About an hour." Guy replied, looking far more worried than the last time he had been facing a death sentence. Still not scared, but concerned at least, nervous maybe. "Isabella was here a few minutes before you woke."

Meg nodded, not quite sure of what to say or do. They knew what they had to do to escape, so there was no point in going over that again…it would make both of them more anxious. It wasn't like last time she and Guy had been sentenced to die together either, because then they hadn't really known each other as well, they hadn't been so close…

"Thanks." she said, looking at the man next to her, his dark hair framing his face, pale eyes in contrast staring back into her own. Although on the surface his face was almost expressionless, she could see the hurt and remorse he had learned to hide, and also the compassion and love that no one seemed to be able to see. "Thanks for saving my life, and for staying…" she stopped, and looked at him again. His face was no longer so expressionless, there was a softness in his eyes, his mouth curving slightly into a small smile "I don't hate you, I don't think I ever really have… just…"

"You saved my life too, you know." Guy told her "In more ways than one."

Meg smiled, and despite the situation, despite the fact that they were facing a fight against the castle guards who were strong, and well fed, and armoured, despite the fact they would be hugely outnumbered, despite the fact they seemed almost destined to die, for that moment she couldn't think of anywhere else she'd rather be. She reached up and kissed him. There wasn't much to be done about the shackles around their wrists, but he kissed her back, trying to convey what he felt in a way that words could not. She leaned into him, their lips still pressed together…

When they broke apart, they both found there wasn't much else to be said, and sat for the remainder of the hour in friendly silence, hands joined, just waiting.

It seemed that in no time at all the clatter of armour echoed down the narrow tunnel, and eight guards – Guy had been right – came into view. Both of them stood up, and walked towards the door of the cell, hands still joined, trying to look resigned and hopeless, instead of waiting tensely for the moment they were released.

The guard in front walked comfortably towards them, drawing from his pocket a ring, with five keys dangling from it. He withdrew the longest one, which was tarnished and silver, inserted it into the keyhole, and turned it, so that the door opened with a loud 'click!'

"NOW!"

The two people shot through the door, startling the guards in front for a moment, giving Guy time to grab a sword from one man's belt, and thrust it straight through him, while Meg wrenched the keys from the firsts grip. She rushed over to Guy, unlocking the heavy chains around his wrists. The guard she had taken the keys from, seeing that she was unarmed, ran forward, sword raised. Freed, Guy darted forward, twisting his arm with a sickening crack, and grabbing the sword, throwing it to Meg. Now all they had to do was fight their way out. Two guards were running towards Guy, and he slashed at them with the weapon, blood spattering to the floor. They weren't badly injured, and they did a second attack, one of them catching him across the shoulder, where he could feel the hot wetness of his own blood begin to spread through his shirt. He jabbed at them more fiercely, until they lay sprawled on the dirty floor. Meg, not as experienced a fighter as Guy, nonetheless seemed to be holding her own. Two guards had run at her too, and one had managed to get a hold on her, trying to reach her throat with his sword. She struggled and yelled, kicking ferociously until he let go. She whirled around, but could hear the other guard running at her from behind. She jabbed at the guard who had held her, then turned, in time to parry the blow that would have landed in her back. Another guard joined the fight though, and Guy was too far away, trying to fend off two guards of his own. She slashed furiously, desperately trying to kill these men, but a voice in the back of her head knew she wasn't going to make it. There were three of them, and one of her, and they were strong, and trained, and she was just a tiny, insignificant little woman right now, really, when it came down to it, afraid and hungry and weak. Guy had managed to kill four guards, and he ran past the bodies, to Meg, his blood running cold when he saw her. Two guards had her up against the wall – one, he was pleased to see was moaning on the floor, begging for death, a request that he would certainly not be granting. She was weak, he could see, but her face was set, and she was still attempting to stop them. She wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer. He rushed over, stabbing one brutally in the back so he screamed, falling to the floor, a scarlet pool rapidly spreading around him. The other raised his sword, about to strike the fatal blow to Meg, and he stretched, trying to reach the man who was about to take the one life he wanted so desperately to save…

The guard fell to the floor before Guy reached him, an arrow in his back, and a look of shock on his face. Guy hardly registered this.

"Meg!"

He rushed over to her, enveloping her in a hug, infinitely glad that she was alive. She hugged him back, shaking a little, crying into his shoulder. He stepped back reluctantly far too soon, she wiped her eyes, and they ran the short way to the tunnel, straight into…

"Hood!" Guy had just about forgotten the arrow in the guard in his relief that Meg was alive.

"Yes. Tuck thought we should rescue you, seeing as you two seem to working for the same cause as us. Clearly, you didn't need our help as much as we thought you would."

Guy glanced at the scowling faces of Kate and John behind Robin. Clearly not everyone was happy about this. Still. Hood had saved Meg's life, and he was, however grudgingly, grateful to him. The group didn't exchange another word, as they ran through the castle, through the courtyard, and into the forest. Dirty and bloodstained he glanced back at the castle, and Guy could have sworn he heard someone shriek, and smiled at the thought of Isabella's face when she realised that they had escaped again.

**Review pleeeeeease :) Hope everyone liked! Naomi x**


	8. Chapter 8

**Robin's being a little unfair to Guy in this chapter, but I guess that's just him. Still, here we go…chapter 8:**

It was intensely odd, walking into the forest again, all eight of them, side by side, not unlike the time only days before, where a fight had broken out, and the group had split. This time, however, they did not, at least not for the time being. Even Robin and Guy were being unusually civil towards each other, and Kate and Meg walked next to each other, no antagonism between them. Robin had been walking ahead, leading the way, but he turned and stopped abruptly. Everyone else came to a halt too, looking curiously at him. Well, Guy was looking at Meg, but everyone else was.

"We can't keep on fighting each other." he said. "Me and Gisborne" he swallowed, and ran a hand through his hair, looking slightly disbelieving that he was saying this "anyone who has something against him, Kate and Meg, we need to settle our differences. We're working towards the same thing, and we're stronger together than working apart. With this many of us, we can take down Isabella."

Robin glanced around. Meg and Kate, it seemed, had no grudges against one another, they were happily standing next to each other, talking, although he had seen Kate wince when he had mentioned forgiving Gisborne. He had felt like screaming himself. Why should he forgive him? Why not kill both of the Gisbornes, him and his stupid sister?

Allan and Much both nodded in Guy's direction, who inclined his own head briefly in return. They didn't speak, but Robin knew that there wouldn't be too many problems there. Tuck of course, was perfectly happy to see both Meg and Gisborne, smiling at the pair of them. That just left him and Kate then…

"I'm never going to forgive you." Kate told Gisborne, walking up to him, and looking into his face "You killed my brother, and I can't forget that." She stopped and sighed "But if you can help us get rid of Isabella then I guess I can put up with you."

Robin could see Meg scowling behind Kate's back, and was incredibly glad that this time she managed to keep her temper, satisfying herself with grimacing at the floor. Or not so great. A good fight would have postponed the moment he had to attempt to put his differences with Gisborne aside . He wanted to solve it, but not the way he had just told the others. Guy was standing there, talking to Meg, as if he was completely unaware of what they had to do next. The other members of Robin's gang seemed to melt away into the trees, knowing this was something that Robin needed to do on his own.

"Where's everyone gone?" Meg asked, looking at the two men, who were the only two she could still see. "Ohh." The two of them had turned to face each other, and she realised what they had to do "Please don't do anything stupid." They looked at her, bemused expressions on their faces. She rolled her eyes. "You know. Like trying to _kill_ each other."

She walked away, guessing it was probably easier for them if she wasn't there. She spotted a flash of gold poking out from the edge of a wide trunk, and walked towards it. Unlike the others, Kate had clearly stayed to find out the outcome of this confrontation. Despite Robin's assurances, Meg had a feeling that this could get violent, a feeling that seemed to be shared by Kate. She was looking worried, chewing her lower lip, her eyes fixed on Robin.

"So, Gisborne…" Robin walked towards him. "Seems we have to work together."

"It does."

"I don't think I can forgive you."

"Well," Guy leaned towards him, his lip curling slightly, eyes flashing "It doesn't seem to have taken you long to find someone else, forgive me or not."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Robin shot back.

"Do I look blind? My sister, though heaven only knows what you saw in her, and now Kate…that'd be two women already, despite the fact that _you _were supposed to be _so _in love with Marian!"

Despite his insistence that they needed to sort things peacefully, Robin couldn't contain himself. How dare he speak of her so flippantly, when he had murdered her? He lunged at Gisborne, his fist connecting with his face with a satisfying crunch. Seconds later, a blow landed on the side of his head, knocking him to the ground. He scrambled up, punching and kicking as hard as he could – and getting the same back – trying to make Gisborne feel some fraction of the pain he had felt at Marian's death, the pain _she _had felt.

After some time the forest fell silent. The yells and thuds faded into nothingness, leaving just the green glow of sunlight through the trees, the sway of the trees, and the creatures scurrying across the forest floor. To someone walking through the woods, they would never guess the violence that had happened there. Everything seemed new, and young, and hopeful.

When Robin and Guy traipsed back to the camp, both were looking terrible – Guy had dried blood encrusted around his nose, and one of Robin's eyes was swollen and bruised. Despite their appearances, and the blatant fact that they had been fighting each other, they did seem a little more relaxed around each other. The dislike was still there, but not quite as strong as before, and the rest could tell that they had sorted out their differences to some extent.

"Where's Kate and Meg?" Robin asked, looking around at everyone. They were already starting to prepare their assault on Isabella, sharpening swords, Tuck and Allan sat on the forest floor, talking cheerfully, but making arrows, shaping pieces of wood so they were balanced, and would fly straight. Much looked up as Robin walked through the camp.

"Kate stayed to see if you were okay. She hasn't got back yet. Reckon Meg's probably with her."

The words were barely out of his mouth when the pair of them walked into sight. They both looked relieved to see that Guy and Robin were still in one piece, if a little battered.

Later, Guy and Meg found themselves down at the river to wash, at Tucks insistence, the wounds they had managed to acquire in the dungeons. Meg tried not to wince when Guy pulled off his shirt to reveal a deep cut across his shoulder. It was still oozing red a bit, and there was a great deal of dried blood around it. The shoulder of his shirt was stiff with it. He splashed water on it a bit, until the worst of the blood had disappeared. They decided it didn't really need to be bandaged, and Guy pulled the shirt back on. There was a little bit of Meg who felt slightly resentful about this, but she tried to ignore it.

She had a few cuts too – the worst was the one across her collarbone, which stung rather badly when it was washed, that she had sustained when struggling with the guard trying to cut her throat. She gritted her teeth together, determined not to make a sound, when Guy's had been so much worse.

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"We need to decide when we're going to do this." Robin was saying, looking round at the outlaws, all sitting in the camp in a kind of haphazard circle. Tuck and Kate were sitting together, finishing off the arrows that had been started earlier. John was standing in a corner, looking distrustfully at Guy, who was leant casually against a rock, Meg next to him. Allan was leaning against someone's bed, looking at Robin, whilst Much stood a few feet from him, looking wistfully at Kate.

"Well, the sooner, the better, I'd say." Allan said cheerfully, almost as if he were commenting on the weather, not the planned murder of the Sheriff.

"You don't want to give my sister any chance to lessen the force we have." Guy pointed out. "She would be happy to see any of us dead, and the longer we leave it, the more time she has to attack us."

"Tomorrow, then." Kate said, looking up.

There was a general murmur of agreement. Only Much looked unsure.

"But we don't even have any type of plan, and we'll never be ready for tomorrow."

Robin shook his head.

"Gisborne's right, Much. If we don't do it soon, she has more chance to prepare. She must have guessed by now, she's seen us and Gisborne working together, and the only thing we have in common is our desire to bring her down." He looked around "So, who's got a plan?"

**Again, there was a bit of a gap, but I hope the wait was worth it (; **


	9. Chapter 9

**Due to not being able to get on the computer to write this, there has been another gap, but it's quite a long chapter, so hopefully that will make up for it. :D**

The little group gathered on the outskirts of the forest, looking at the almost impenetrable vastness of Nottingham Castle, the grey stone glinting menacingly in the bright sunlight. A similar glint flashed at each of the entrances, showing the guards in position, ready to ward off any unwanted intruders. A harsh breeze whipped their hair around their faces.

"You'd better be right about this tunnel, Gisborne." Much muttered darkly. He and Guy were to go into the castle through the tunnel built underneath it. Guy had explained the night before that Isabella wouldn't know about this tunnel, as it was built for the old sheriff, and all the workers had been 'silenced'. They wouldn't have any trouble with guards, in any case. Meg and John were getting in through the west gate, Allan and Kate through the east gate, whilst Robin and Tuck took the slightly more unorthodox route of up the wall, and straight onto the roof. With people coming from every direction, Isabella would have far less chance of escaping than if they all took the same route in. All of them knew that this could well be the last time they saw each other – it was too much to hope that they all would get out alive. Standing there, contemplating what they had to do, this reality dawned on them all. Suddenly, everyone seemed to be hugging each other, and wishing them good luck, and goodbye.

"You take care of her." Guy muttered to John, looking at Meg, who was hugging Kate, a smile on her face, despite the enormity of their task. John nodded.

"I will."

Meg came over to him then, and hugged him too. He held onto her, not wanting to have to let go, wanting to go with her, and look out for her. She leaned back, and Guy let go rather reluctantly.

"I'll see you later." she told him, walking over to John, who was waiting for her.

"Promise?" he asked, his tone joking, but really needing to know she was going to be fine. She grinned.

"Trust me, you'll definitely see me later." One last wave, and she turned away, walking briskly beside John, heading towards the west gate.

"I'd better." Guy muttered, also turning away, heading in the opposite direction, towards the graveyard that hid the entrance to the tunnels. He was not very surprised, about ten minutes later as they lugged the heavy black stones away from the wonky iron cross, that Much began to mutter to himself about not messing about with graves. His uncertainty about their assault on Isabella the previous day had given Guy the impression that he wasn't perhaps the bravest of Hood's gang, and this was just proving the point.

"It's not a grave, it's just meant to look like one, to fit in." Guy told him irritably, wishing Meg was here, who, he thought bitterly, would probably not have been half as picky "We _are_ in a graveyard."

Much looked at him resentfully, but to his credit, he carried on heaving the rocks away anyway. Before long, the two of them had revealed a large square patch of earth. Guy bent down, feeling for the edges of the trapdoor, and pulled it upwards. A gasp beside him told him that Much was looking, wide eyed, at the steps leading into the gloom below. Both of them slid inside, pulling the door shut with a muted thud, and plunging themselves into darkness.

Kate and Allan walked through the bright sunlight, both of them pulling down their hoods as they approached the gate. It would be so much easier if they didn't have to fend off guards, and it would mean that Isabella wouldn't be warned of their attack. It looked as though they were going to be able to get away with it – it was market day, and there were villagers scurrying in and out of the gates, so they would be virtually invisible. Past the metal gates, they were nearly at the scrum of people, when a hand shot out, grabbing Kate by the back of her cloak. She yelled out in surprise, and Allan whirled around, already drawing his sword. Both guards were dead in an instant, but the outlaws knew that if the bodies were discovered by Isabella, she would guess that they were here. They had to be careful now.

At the opposite side of the castle, Meg and John were going through the exact same process. Meg hadn't been an outlaw for so long, so the guards didn't recognise her, and it looked hopeful that maybe they could get into Nottingham unnoticed. They did, however, recognise John, and that was two more dead guards and double the chance that they would get discovered. It was very busy in Nottingham, making it extremely difficult for anyone to navigate their way around. Stalls were crammed into every possible inch of space, selling vegetables, meat, pots – all brightly coloured and cheerful. It was chilly, but the seething mass of bodies kept out the breeze. You could hear people haggling, talking, laughing. The smell of cooking food was mixed with the smells of straw and animal waste. Meg and John had to elbow their way through this, trying to find Kate and Allan. Meg spotted her father at one point, arguing with another stall holder, and she ducked her head, eyes still searching for Kate and Allan. Surely they hadn't been caught already?

By this time, Robin and Tuck were on the roof, surveying the scene below. They could see the four outlaws in the crowd quite easily from this height, but it was obvious that they were having a great deal of trouble finding each other. Robin grinned to himself, then turned to Tuck.

"You ready?" Tuck nodded once, pulling the rope they had used to get up here, and an arrow to secure it to the building. Robin seized the rope, slowly lowering himself down the rock face to the nearest window, peering inside, aware of the huge crowd beneath him. How many there would go running to the sheriff if they saw a strange man on the wall of the castle? There was no one inside the room at the moment, and he swung himself through the window. A moment later, a hollow thud on the rough floorboards told him that Tuck had done likewise. They both straightened up, and looked around. Robin recognised it as Isabella's bedroom. The bed was in the centre of the room, its red hangings giving a ruby glow to the room around it. Some unfinished letters in spiky handwriting had been thrown onto the little cupboard beside her bed, along with the knife she usually carried everywhere to protect herself. Robin frowned, wondering what they should do. If they stayed, Isabella would eventually come back, and they couldn't give the others away. However, if they moved, they might be more help, and they might run into Isabella sooner. Tuck saw his expression, and, as he had an annoying knack of doing, guessed what Robin was thinking.

"We're better off here." he said solemnly. "We can see what's going on in the courtyard, so we'll know if the rest are in trouble. But we won't get caught, and jeopardise their chances of getting to her."

Robin nodded.

"I know. I just don't like sitting here. I feel useless."

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Isabella sat in her wide chair, arms rested, smiling to herself. Sooner or later, Hood and Gisborne would make an attempt on her life – them and the rest of that savage little crowd of outlaws. When that day came, she was going to cut them down, show the people of Nottingham that she was not some silly little woman, she meant what she said, and she could take down anyone. Power. A smirk crossed her face as she imagined how she would have them killed.

Urgent footsteps, heavy and uneven, were coming down the corridor. Isabella stood up, her dress sweeping across the floor, black and uncaring. Her face was irritated, as if this person now rushing towards her was just a little buzzing fly, that she was dying to crush under her fist. The guard came up to her, his face tense.

"Sheriff, something's happened. Guards at the east and west gates have been found dead. We believe it has something to do with Hood." He licked his lips nervously beneath his visor.

"Are you telling me," she whispered, voice ice cold and cutting "That trained and armoured men such as yourselves cannot deal with _outlaws. _You can't deal with a few men," she paused and smirked, circling the guard, who was now sweating with fear "and women. Tell me that's not true." She stopped directly behind him, her mouth level with his ear.

"It is, sheriff." His voice was shaking too.

"FAILURE!" she screamed, yanking a knife from beneath her dress, and stabbing it violently into his neck. He crumpled like a rag doll, and she kicked his body aside.

"Robin Hood." She smiled, much like a lion might smile as it approaches its unknowing prey, about to pounce. "You might have got in. But you're not getting out."

**Isn't Isabella **_**lovely…**_

**Still, can't have our outlaws getting it too easy. Let me know what you think! x]**


	10. Chapter 10

**Again, I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, and the hot weather meant I was outside a lot, not to mention I couldn't really get at the computer much. And **_**then**_** the season finale of Robin Hood was so good I started to feel a bit downhearted because this can't be as good. Still. Got there in the end. Lot's of Guy angst in this one.**

Both Guy and Much were getting very irritated about the lack of light. Both wished that they had thought to bring a torch, but there was no way of starting any kind of fire down here. It was damp, the walls jagged and slimy. Something was crunching beneath their feet, and Guy had a fairly good idea of what it was, though he didn't mention this to Much. Somehow, he didn't think that he would be too keen on trampling on the corpses of the workers, or that it was because of the man beside him that they were there. Guy knew he deserved all the hatred he received, but he didn't want another person pointing out what a monster he was. The only person that could see any good in him was Meg, and before her Marian, of course. He closed his eyes, remembering her last words before he had murdered her. _I'd rather die than be with you, Guy of Gisborne._ It still stung. One day, Meg would come to her senses, as Marian did. He just hoped that this time he would let her live.

"We nearly there?" Much's voice echoed oddly down the tunnel, and Guy jumped, nearly colliding with the filthy walls. He'd all but forgotten that he was there.

"Yeah."

They trudged on, feeling their way blindly through the dark, stumbling over the bodies of the workers. Every time he did this, Guy gritted his teeth together. He _was_ a monster. He had murdered, again and again. He deserved to die, a tiny repayment for the hundreds and hundreds of lives that he had taken. Every so often his mind would wander back to Meg. She would be in the castle now, trying to get justice for the people. When they met again, he had to break this off. The last few days with her had been amazing, but he didn't deserve her. She was good, and she didn't need this goodness tarnished by him. She could stay with Hood. He'd look after her, and she could help. The thought brought tears to his eyes, but he gritted his teeth again, and stopped abruptly. Much walked into the back of him.

"Here we are."

After about a quarter of an hour searching, Meg, John, Allan and Kate had managed to find each other. They were currently huddled outside a stall selling a variety of brightly coloured vegetables. It was extremely popular, and noisy, so they were currently unnoticed.

"Where's Isabella going to be now?" John muttered, looking at the others, keeping an eye on the stall holder, who was looking at Allan and him rather suspiciously.

"She'll be in that room with the chair, lording over everyone, won't she?" Kate answered, wearing a rather ugly expression at the mention of Isabella's name.

They set off, hoods still pulled over their faces. It struck all of them as very suspicious that there were no guards at the doors leading into the castle. Looking around furtively, they continued. Had Isabella discovered they were coming so soon? Suddenly, their footsteps seemed thundering, echoing as they crept down the corridor. The stone walls looked like sentries, tall and proud, off to tell the sheriff what they were doing. The lack of security was unnerving. Nonetheless, they followed Meg's lead, who had been there before, when Isabella had freed her. All of them were beginning to feel nervous about the others, and wondering if they had made it.

"Do you think Guy and Much are ok?" Meg asked anxiously, looking nervously behind her. "They should have managed to get here by now."

The words were barely out of her mouth, when they heard footsteps coming along the corridor. All of them drew their weapons, poised ready, but it soon became apparent that it was some of their fellow outlaws. Guy and Much came into view, both filthy. Their hair was soaking, and Guy had dark slime up his boots and arms. Much was looking marginally cleaner, but he had a smudge across his face, and his clothes were stained with muck.

"It's a very clean tunnel, then?" Meg asked sarcastically "Honestly, you two are gonna leave a trail of dirt for Isabella to follow."

Guy didn't smile at her remark, which was unusual. He was wearing a somewhat tortured expression; his eyebrows pulled together, his eyes slightly more shiny than normal, mouth mashed together in a straight line.

"Guy?" Meg said, stepping towards him. The others had started towards the end of the corridor, but he was standing still, not following. John and Kate looked at her quizzically, but Meg smiled, and they followed Allan and Much, their footsteps fading. "Guy, what's wrong?"

He stood absolutely still, not answering.

"Guy, please tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing." He smiled suddenly, although it didn't look absolutely genuine "Let's go. We need to help the others."

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Shoes hit the wooden floor with aggressive force, each step echoing off the walls, back and forth around the large room. Isabella was pacing up and down, waiting, her impatience hanging in the air like an invisible mist.

A few guards were crouched behind the chair, completely hidden. If any of Hood's men tried to take her down, the guards could hold them off so she could escape. She knew that they would be massacred, but it should give her some time. Their nervousness could be tasted in the air too, but a thin, insignificant cloud compared with her billowing power and impatience.

Silence.

The smallest of creaks had Isabella's senses tingling, completely alert. She narrowed her eyes until they were slits, and waited. Another creak, closer this time, and a tiny puff of dust lifted from the floor. Someone hissing something. She grabbed the knife at her thigh, her fingers tightening around it, so that her fingernails made deep pink imprints on her palms. One dead beat of nothingness.

Allan and John charged forward, straight at Isabella, pinning her to the nearest wall. She snarled, managing to plunge the knife into someone's arm, and they yelled, stepping back. There was a scrum of bodies, the guards, Robin Hood's men, Guy and Meg, all fighting and yelling. Two people fell with a dull thud, but nobody looked to see who they were, so immersed in the fight. Isabella slashed her was through the chaos, not caring who she hurt, trying to get away. She was nearly at the door when an arm seized her round the neck.

"Not so fast, Isabella."

"Guy."

They stood there, in the doorway, Guy's sword across her throat, neither moving. The fight behind them was furious, but it seemed detached somehow, as if they were in their own little world.

"Kill me then." Isabella looked up at him, her eyes unafraid, taunting, almost. "You want to, don't you? To kill the sister who has betrayed you so many times…"

"I do."

Isabella smirked at him, eyes glinting now.

"You won't though, will you?"

"That is why we came. But there are others here that would be only too happy to see you dead, and I don't want to be the one to kill my sister."

"This hasn't got anything to do with me." Isabella snarled back at him "This is to do with Meg, and trying to redeem yourself! And don't think of trying to change, Gisborne." She pushed the sword deftly away from her throat, and faced him, her expression one of hatred "Because you _can't._ No matter what anyone tells you, you are a monster. You sold me; you killed hundreds, including the woman you used to love. One day, Meg is going to see that."

"I know." he pushed Isabella away in disgust, although his face was tortured again, he was seeing all his crimes replayed in his mind, over and over "I know she is."

The double doors burst open again, and Robin and Tuck burst in, weapons out. There wasn't any need. In the corner, Kate, Allan, John, Meg and Much were standing over the remains of Isabella's guard. The only person left was Isabella, trapped by a circle of outlaws, backed into the centre of the room. Her only defence was a small knife, red with blood already. It was Robin who stepped forwards towards her this time, as Guy had shrunk into the shadows. Meg was beside him as she always was, but he wasn't talking to her. His eyes seemed darker and more guarded than usual.

Robin walked forward, each step another beat of Isabella's life, which was draining away like the sand of an hourglass.

**There we go! End of chapter ten! Double figures :)**

**Review and let me know what you think, and thankyou for all the lovely comments so far :D x**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11! I think we're just about there now – only one or two chapters left! Thankyou to everyone who has been reading this, and I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it as much as I am :D **

Isabella didn't flinch as Robin took the final step, so that they were facing each other, almost nose to nose. The room held it's breath as they stood there; looking quite steadily at one another, both waiting for the moment Robin would draw his sword.

"Going to kill me, Robin Hood?"

"Yes." He spoke evenly, as if they were discussing the weather, or something just as trivial, but his hand drifted towards his sword as he did so "You have hurt the people, and I defend them. While you rule here, they are in danger."

Isabella smiled, stepping deftly out of his reach.

"Killing me doesn't help them." She smirked, her eyes on the sword that had dropped to his side at her words "My guards are not letting anyone out, whether I live or die. The people will be massacred, trapped in the courtyard. Innocent peasants, Hood. Dying. Because a little group of outlaws want revenge."

Robin shifted his weight to the other foot, biting his lip, trying to think. He could hear the others shifting about uncomfortably too. They were stuck.

"If I let you live, I'm supposed to expect you to let them go?"

"It's the best chance you've got."

One dead beat of silence as everyone contemplated this.

"Tie her up."

Allan and Much both darted forward, securing Isabella to her chair so tightly she could barely move. The thick ropes cut into her arms, making dark pink marks as she thrashed about, trying to break free, cursing and spitting. Much stuffed a tendril of the rope in her mouth too, so she was utterly trapped, unable to say a word. Once powerful, she was now completely helpless, tied up like a bird to be roasted. They left the way they had come, Robin hooking the knife out of her hand as they went.

The group dashed up staircases, along corridors, their feet pounding, no longer trying to be inconspicuous. They burst through the door of a room right at the top of the castle, following Robin and Tuck's lead. Once the last of them had tumbled through the door onto the threadbare rug, Guy slammed the door, and turned the key. If someone was following them, it wouldn't keep them out for long, but they would have some time.

"We need to get out." Robin gasped.

"What about the villagers?" Meg asked indignantly, bending over to get rid of the stitch in her side.

"I know." He looked at Meg his face thoughtful "But I _think _the guard are more interested in us than in them. If we can get rid of the guard on the roof…all we have to do is open the gates. The guard will be hugely outnumbered by the villagers, and they won't launch a suicide mission against them."

There was a general murmur of agreement as Robin crossed to the window, throwing it open and leaning out to peer up at the battlements. He could see the glittering back of two big, brutal looking guards, and slid an arrow into his bow. They were going to have to be very quick. Tightening the rope around the end of the arrow, he pulled the bow taught, squinting in the bright sunlight. He released it, and it landed on the opposite side of the roof, quivering.

The guards jumped in surprise, and Robin swung himself out the window, scrambled up the rope, and landed on the castle roof, swinging his sword left and right, knocking the guards in front of him to the ground. A moment later Guy's tall dark form landed next to him, also fighting as soon as his feet touched the stone floor. Much, Kate, Allan, John and Tuck appeared within a minute, swords out, snarling as they charged at the guards, until red begun to spatter over the dark grey stone. Only Meg was left, stranded inside the room, looking fearfully up at the battlements above her. She looked terrified, her whole body shaking, but her mouth was set, determined as ever.

"Meg! Are you alright?" Guy yelled, hurling a man over the edge, his body landing with a nasty crunch beneath them.

"Fine!" she screamed back, but her face was white as she begun to climb, her eyes flicking to the ground so far beneath her. She grinned at him, trying to not seem scared when the others had done it so easily. He nodded, returning to the fight as someone ran at him from behind, sword aloft. With a clash of metal they were swirling away. Meg gritted her teeth, wishing he could have stayed. Him being there had helped her take her mind off the task at hand – climb a rope – but at such a dizzying height. Her hands kept reaching nonetheless, and before too long, the lip of the roof was within reaching distance.

The rope jerked, and Meg struggled not to scream. She felt so vulnerable, hanging off this treacherous cliff face, with nothing but a rope. It jerked again, and Meg realised what was happening. Someone was cutting the rope. She had to climb up and join the others, but she was utterly paralysed with fear. One more hack, and she would be on the courtyard floor, dead beside that guard. The rope jerked for the third time, and Meg felt herself begin to drop, almost in slow motion. So this was how it ended.

Strong hands were suddenly holding hers, dragging her up the wall. The jagged stone cut her arms, and grazed her face, but right then she didn't care. Looking up, Guy's face swam into view as he lifted her the final few inches onto the roof. She collapsed into his arms, shaking and crying. He hugged her close, and she noticed that she wasn't the only one who had been scared. Although they were holding her so tightly, Guy's hands were shaking too.

Robin Hood's gang were still finishing off the last of the guard, but it somehow didn't seem to matter so much anymore.

"I thought I was going to never see you again." Meg mumbled into his chest, now having regained enough composure to hug him back.

"Me too." He admitted, "But I wasn't the one who decided to hang off a rope that someone was cutting through, was I?" his voice was light-hearted, teasing now.

She poked him as hard as was possible in the back.

"I'm afraid of heights." she muttered, so that her voice was barely audible.

"I noticed."

By this time, Kate had just finished off the last guard, withdrawing her sword from his chest, and wrinkling her nose at the amount of bright crimson that was coated on it. They all joined Meg and Guy, both of whom were extremely reluctant to let go of the other. They stood there, cut and bruised, all grinning as they surveyed the scene in the courtyard. The guards were looking up, stunned that the outlaws were alive. There were only sixteen of them in contrast to hundreds of peasants, pushing as shoving, most oblivious to the confrontation up above. The guards seemed to realise they were hopelessly outnumbered, and as Robin's arrow landed millimetres above their heads the creak of ancient, heavy wood indicated that the gates were being opened. Everyone on the roof seemed to be grinning and jumping up and down, Guy had released Meg by now, only to pick her up and spin her round as the gates opened. The only problem yet to solve was that of Isabella's fate, which sobered them pretty quickly.

They scrambled back down the wall, Meg refusing Guy's offer that he could carry her, sliding down faster than anyone, and smirking happily when her feet met the floorboards with a soft thud. Slowly, they made their way back to the "chair room" as Kate had christened it, John and Tuck leading the way. There was no need to rush – most of the guard were dead on the roof, and nobody really wanted to have to think about murdering Isabella earlier than they had to. She was twisted, horrible, vindictive – but the deliberate murder of her still silenced the group as they strode towards the room.

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"Isabella Gisborne, you have been sentenced with high treason against King Richard _and_ the mistreatment of the people of Nottingham." Robin declared, shouting to make himself heard over the scrum of villagers, and leading Isabella, her hands tied together securely with rope, up the steps, so they were visible to everyone. "For these crimes, you shall hang tomorrow at sun-down." He looked around at the gathered people at the foot of the steps. "Does anyone disagree with this sentence?"

"I do." Meg's voice sounded from above him, and Robin whirled around. She was running towards them, Guy standing motionless behind her, looking completely stunned "I know I wanted her dead, Robin, but I don't think she deserves it. She was good to us once, which the old sheriff never was. She saved me when I was to be condemned."

"She also condemned you to death." Guy's voice joined hers, as he joined Meg, glaring at Isabella. "Her crimes outweigh any good she has."

"What about you, Guy?"

Meg's eyes met his, and for the first time he was sure that her thoughts were exactly in line with his. He had committed so many crimes that any glimmer of goodness was completely obscured by them. He had expected this, but he hadn't known that it would come so soon. The bubble of happiness that had expanded inside him when he had saved her from falling to her death had burst. She saw him for what he really was, she saw that while he might have managed a few good deeds, overall he was bad. Evil.

**Next chapter coming ASAP! Review and let me know what you think :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Second to last chapter here folks! Took so long because initially chapter 13 was going to be in this one, but it wasn't quite right, so I've cut it off here, and it will be a chapter in it's own right :) Pure fluff, this one, but there's still one more character we need to meet…**

In the end, it was decided that Isabella was to be kept in the dungeons under the strictest guard, not to be released in any circumstances. She could stay there until King Richard returned to England to await trial then. Presently, the outlaws were lounging in the camp, bandaging and cleaning any wounds, sorting out the last of the food and money to give to the villagers, and talking cheerfully. The only person who wasn't in this jovial mood was Guy, who was leaning against a wall, away from the rest, his face unhappy. No one seemed to have noticed, except Meg, who kept shooting him furtive little concerned glances. Finally, she got up and went over to him, unable to stand him sitting there looking miserable any longer.

"Guy." Meg stood over him, her expression stern "Tell me what is upsetting you."

He smiled just a little bit at her fierceness, and relieved by this, she sat beside him.

"Do you remember what I said, in the dungeons, the day we met? The person I used to know?"

Meg nodded.

"Her name was Marian." he sighed and looked at Meg mournfully "I loved her, but I should have been able to see that she was always Robin's. Like you did, she saw good in me once. She believed that I was capable of compassion, goodness… but it didn't last. As I told you, I killed her."

Meg was silent. As the first time he had told her about this, a tear leaked from her eye, but she stayed nonetheless, listening.

"Before I killed her, she told me she would rather die than be with me. I don't know why I did it. I was jealous and angry, and when she said that she broke my heart. As soon as I put the sword through her, I wished I could take it back." Guy's hands had balled into fists, and like Meg's his eyes were shinier than usual. "But the thing is Meg, you can see the tiniest amount of good I may have in me, but like Marian, you realised that the bad outweighs it. I think you did this afternoon. And like her, it's tearing me into pieces."

Meg was properly crying now, and he turned his face away. He didn't want her to confirm he was right, he didn't want to see her walk away from him.

A hand touched his, and Guy turned his head slowly to look at her. Meg had reached out to hold his hand. She didn't say anything, but the tiniest, most impossible glimmer of hope sparked inside him. She was smiling through her tears, and he felt tears of his own spill down his cheeks.

"Meg?"

"You may have done more bad than good in your life, but I don't think the bad overshadows the good." He gazed at her in wonder, almost unable to believe what he was hearing. "And even if it did," she went on "I don't think I could hate you."

They were interrupted momentarily by Allan, who had walked to the opposite side of the camp to grab the remainder of the food. He glanced at Meg and Guy, sitting in the dirt, holding hands, both with red eyes and damp faces.

"What are you two crying about?" he asked, shaking his head, as he made his way back to the others, shaking his head.

Meg turned back to Guy, wiping her eyes now, swallowing and their eyes met.

"What I have been trying to tell you all this time." she went on, as if there had been no interruption "And believe me, I never thought I'd say this to anyone, _ever_…is that I think I love you."

Completely lost for words, Guy did what he most wanted to do, cradled her face with his hands, then leaned forward to kiss her. She curled her arms around his neck, feeling as though she was going to burst with happiness. She thought she hated all men, but Guy had given her a new perspective. When he drew back and opened his eyes to look into hers she smiled at him, almost shyly.

"Meg." Guy said, taking hold of both her hands in his again "I would never have imagined that I'd find someone like you, and I know I don't deserve you." she opened her mouth to protest, but he put a finger on her lips, and she fell silent "But," he took a deep breath "I love you too."

They couldn't sit there forever, absorbed in their own little world, and after a while, Guy and Meg returned to the place where everyone else was sitting. The rest had seen how attached the pair had been before, but it seemed more permanent now somehow, as if they'd got past some obstacle that had been stopping them being completely right. Looking at them sitting there, Robin felt a pang for his Marian. They looked so happy, they looked as though they completed each other, as he felt he and Marian had done. He liked Kate a lot, maybe he even loved her – she certainly loved him – but it wasn't the same as what he and Marian had had. Turning back to the conversation with John and Much, he wondered aloud if Guy and Meg would be staying now that they had done what they had joined them for. Night was falling fast, and exhausted by the day's work, the outlaws drifted off to bed. Within the hour, the camp was full of steady breathing.

Only two people were still awake in the blackness of the night. With these two extra people in the camp, there was not really enough room for everyone to sleep, and Guy and Meg had pinched some blankets from Tuck and Much, and were lying on the forest floor under them, just happy to be there with the other. It was nice, Meg thought, to just lie here, his arms around her in the dark.

"What are we going to do next?" she whispered, and her voice echoed in the dark wood, bouncing off the trees. He chuckled softly, then shifted his body a bit so he was facing her. Well, it was dark, so she couldn't see, but she could feel his breathing on her forehead.

"What do you want to do?" he asked, sensing that she wanted to answer this.

"Well, I know you and Robin aren't the other's favourite person in the world…"

"But?"

"Well, I think it might be best for us to stay here. We can help, and somehow it wouldn't seem right if we just walked away when we _could _help."

"Alright then."

Meg smiled in the darkness, and felt him press his lips to her forehead.

"Goodnight Meg."

Eventually they too drifted off to sleep, still holding each other as the sun crept up the horizon, sending rays of sunlight through the canopy of the forest, where they shattered on the forest floor like liquid emerald.

**I loved writing this chapter :D Hope you lot enjoyed it as much as me! x**


	13. Chapter 13

**Last chapter! Well, I think it is anyway! I can be a little indecisive…**

**Sorry this took so long to update! I wrote it twice, because the first time I wasn't happy with it, and then it took me ages to be inspired enough to read it through…but we did get there in the end. Thanks to everyone who's been reading this! Please review after reading. :D rose4thedoctor4eva x**

They woke next morning to people bustling around, hauling sacks from one side of the camp to the other, talking and laughing. It was clear that they were off to do something, yet it wasn't the same as the strained, feverish preparation that had taken place before their raid on the castle. It was relaxed. Nonetheless, it was extremely noisy, and Meg sat up, looking around blearily. Robin was standing at the side of the camp nearest to Locksley, catching sacks that were being hurled in his direction by Kate. Allan was the one doing most of the laughing, chuckling as Kate threw one sack which narrowly missed Robin's face. Meg grinned too as he lurched out of the way just in time, and it was caught by John, who had just deposited another bag at Robin's feet.

Standing up Meg could see that these people were totally different to those she had met before. Now they had no serious worries, they had time to laugh, to muck about. It was nice. Kate had spotted that Meg was awake, and wandered over to her, smiling. She nodded in Guy's direction too – not exactly comfortable with him, but they were getting there.

"We're going to give the last of the supplies to the villagers." Kate explained, jerking her head behind her, where everyone was starting to pick up the bags, and sling them over their shoulders "Though they should do better now there's no sheriff. Coming?"

Meg nodded as Guy came to stand beside her, and the three of them grabbed the remaining bags, setting off towards the village. It was a beautiful day: bright sunlight streamed through the trees, and a light breeze ran its fingers through their hair as they picked their way through the undergrowth. Before long, the village was in sight, the thatched roofs glinting in the sunlight, dust blowing through the narrow lanes. The odd villager was wandering around, and one woman spotted Robin and waved, immediately darting over and engaging him in conversation. The rest spread out over the rest of the village, stopping here and there for conversation, distributing the supplies, smiling, laughing, sometimes nodding modestly when congratulated on the destabilisation of the sheriff. By early afternoon, the outlaws were beginning to leave the village, except Kate, who was with her family. With the absence of a sheriff, Meg wondered if she might stay. But then, remembering how she looked at Robin, maybe not.

She and Guy were on the edge of Locksley, when suddenly she reached out to pull on his arm, so he stopped, and looked at her.

"There's one more thing we got to do."

She led him by the hand back to the village, turning left, then right, pulling him down a narrow lane between two houses, until finally she stopped. He was puzzled at first: there seemed to be nothing extraordinary about the particular house they had stopped beside, it looked the same as many other houses in the village. Thatched roof, little wooden door, and a small area in front of the house where vegetables were growing. He looked at the house. Then he looked back at Meg.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No." she said cheerfully "But they are my family, Guy, they need to know I'm safe."

"Very well."

The two of them walked up the little path, and stopped outside the door. It seemed to be made of oak, roughly cut and scrubbed. Gripping his hand tighter, Meg raised her fist, and knocked.

It was almost instantly answered by a woman that Guy had no doubt was Meg's mother. She was slightly shorter than her daughter, with bright black hair, but her face was the spitting image of Meg's. The only thing that betrayed her age was the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, as though she spent a lot of time laughing. Her face broke into a huge smile as she saw her daughter, and she reached out, enveloping her in a hug. Meg had to let go of his hand so she could hug her back properly, and Guy stood behind her, feeling rather awkward. When her mother released her, Guy could see tears in her eyes.

"I thought you must have died!" she choked, ushering her daughter inside the house, taking her hand and leading her through it. Guy didn't wait for an invitation, following them both inside, and shutting the door behind him with a snap. He stood in the doorway, watching as the mother bustled around, chattering at break neck speed through her tears, and Meg sat on a chair, looking guilty, and occasionally adding a comment to her mother's tirade.

"…at your execution, I was so scared, I thought you were going to die, but your father said there was nothing to do and you shouldn't have freed him after the sheriff saved you…and I was leaving and I tried to find you, but there was so much fighting, and oh Meg you _disappeared_…"

"I was fine."

"…and then he said that you may have escaped the axe, but maybe God was punishing you for disobeying him, and I thought you must have died in the forest, drowned, or a tree fell, or someone got you or…"

She finally stopped, shaking her head at Meg, who was sitting there, eyebrows raised at the amount of thought her mother had put into this, and the number of ways she could have died in the forest. Guy chuckled softly at her expression, bringing her mother's attention, for the first time, to himself. She didn't jump backwards, or scream, and Guy admired her for that – probably where Meg got her fearlessness from. She just sort of stood there, looking stunned, her eyes flicking from Meg to himself, back and forth.

"He's the one you helped escape." she breathed "Gisborne…" she turned to Meg, who was trying hard not to laugh, hands over her mouth "How did he get in here?"

Meg couldn't suppress her laughter then, and her mother glanced at her. Meg could see her adding the facts together, and was pretty sure she was going to get it right.

"He followed me in. He was standing right behind me."

Her mother beamed at that, and Meg was almost positive that she had grasped the situation perfectly; she wouldn't smile like that because someone had followed her into the house. She looked like your average peasant, and people forgot that she was bright. She was the one who had kept Meg sane the past few months, supporting her view of wanting to run her own life, and helping her with her schemes to scare away the suitors her father had chosen. Their one difference was that she had always hoped that Meg would find a man who she loved, an idea that Meg had scoffed at, at the time, but that was before meeting Guy.

"Your father's going to be furious." She told Meg "But that's not unusual I suppose." She looked up at Guy, whose face had fallen ever so slightly "It's nothing personal," she added hastily "Just that he's tried to get my Meg all sorts of suitors, and he'd disapprove of any man he didn't choose."

The three of them sat there, as the sun gradually moved across the sky, occasionally talking, but for the most part they kept silent. Selena, as she had told Guy her name was, moved through the house and as evening approached, she began to make food. Meg, much as she liked sitting there with Guy's arm draped around her shoulders, stood up to help her, leaving him to sit there feeling even more awkward than when he had been standing in the doorway. For no other reason than for something to do, he stood up, and went back through the doorway that he had come, stooping so as not to bang his head. It was very simple, with only a few rooms. The kitchen was the largest, and the table showed that they ate in there too. There was one bedroom with a roughly made bed crammed inside. It was directly behind the fireplace in the kitchen, so that it winter they wouldn't freeze. He was just about to walk into the kitchen – maybe to offer a hand so that he didn't feel quite so useless, when the front door opened, and a man appeared in the doorway.

He was quite short – unlike Guy, he did not have to stoop to fit through the doorways, was perhaps three or four inches taller than Meg. His bald head shone in the late evening sun, and only a few tufts of reddish brown hair, the exact shade of Meg's, clung to his forehead. Broad shoulders and muscled arms showed he was once a powerful man, but he was rounded now, and his eyes were slightly sunken. He eyed Guy suspiciously, who ducked into the kitchen. He didn't want to give him a reason to be angry at Meg straight away.

Both women had heard him come in, and Selena rushed forwards to kiss him on the cheek. Almost instinctively it seemed, Meg drifted to Guy's side, squeezing his hand ever so briefly.

"Watch out." she muttered, before walking over to her father, and hugging him. It wasn't like the hug she had given her mother earlier; he could tell that she and her father did not get on half so well.

"Hello father." she said, her voice very careful and polite. Guy grinned in spite of himself behind her. She never talked this politely to anyone. "I just came so you'd know that I'm alive." Meg glanced up at him a little nervously, again something he rarely saw in her. "But we're going now."

"We?"

Meg closed her eyes for a moment, then looked behind her and mouthed "sorry!" at Guy.

"Me and Guy."

"You and Guy?"

"Yeh." Meg spoke quietly and calmly, but Guy could sense that she was starting to lose her temper. She took a deep breath, trying to keep calm.

"Guy of Gisborne, that would be then Meg? I don't suppose you'd care to tell me why he is better than anyone I've chosen for you. Not to mention, if those rumours are true, he-"Her father was shouting by now, rather red in the face. He wasn't the only one that was unable to control his temper, at these last words Meg had flew at him.

"Don't you dare!"

"Meg, no!"

"-is happy killing women who-"

"SHUT UP!"

The room was completely silent and still, a snapshot of time. Selena was backed against a wall, face stricken. The father was looking outraged at his daughter's disrespect, and the daughter in question was standing directly in front of him, fuming. Guy was halfway across the room in an attempt to stop Meg (he hadn't really thought about how) from doing something she'd regret for his sake. All frozen, for just the tiniest moment.

"_What_ did you say to me?" her father breathed. He was no longer shouting, but his voice was soft and dangerous.

"I said: shut up." she told him, in the same low and dangerous voice he had just used one her "Don't you dare talk about him like that."

With one last smile and apologetic glance in her mother's direction, Meg grabbed Guy by the hand and walked out of the house. As soon as they were out of sight of the house, Guy stopped, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking at her, puzzled.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know." she replied, looking quite steadily at him, all her ire gone. "But I haven't got on with my father for a long time, and like I told him, I don't want him talking about you like that."

"And your mother?"

"I'll miss her." Meg admitted "But we're living nearby, and my father isn't there all the time."

He nodded, and let her take his hand and lead him towards the forest. The sun was setting now, sending an orange glow across the brambles and the ferns, so they looked as though they were made of liquid amber. Two long shadows rippled across the undergrowth, joined together. As they reached the fringe of trees, the taller one bent it's head to kiss the shorter.

The two shadows became one as Guy draped an arm around Meg's shoulder, and she wound an arm around his waist. Their eyes met, and they continued on their way, until the darkness of the trees swallowed them up.


End file.
